Rye Castle Museum

Rye Castle Museum is an independent Museum run by volunteers. Rye Castle Museum has two sites: the Ypres Tower and East Street.

The Ypres Tower is one of the oldest buildings in Rye, being built in 1249 as part of the town's defences. It is the oldest building open to the public in Rye. In the Tower are various exhibits. In one cell there is medieval pottery made in Rye, you can view a very rare smuggler's spout lantern, which allowed smugglers to signal to ships, without being seen by the Excisemen ashore, there is a relief map which shows the development of the coastline over the last thousand years and you can learn how the Romans were able to sail over the area now known as the Romney Marsh at high tide.

The basement has changing exhibitions that appeal to children of all ages. At present there is an exhibition of replica medieval weapons which you can hold and thereby feel their weight. There are examples of armour and also helmets you can wear and then be photographed, if you have a camera with you. You can test how strong you are and see if you could have been a medieval longbow man, by pulling a cord attached to a weight that is the equivalent of drawing a longbow. This is not for the faint hearted, and do be careful if you have any back problems, and generally take it gently!